Your Laziness in Recording

vvv · Post by **vvv** » Fri Sep 12, 2008 4:32 pm

Inspired by here, I ask yooze, "How does your laziness affect your recording?"

For example, on days that I wanna get something down, but just don't wanna deal with amps and mic's, I use a guitar amp simulator (I use a Zoom GM200, or a Hafler T2 pre into a Microcab).

Sometimes (yesterday, actually), I'll just plug a SM58 in for a vocal; it may not be best, but it'll work.

So, how does your laziness affect your recording?

DrummerMan · Post by **DrummerMan** » Fri Sep 12, 2008 6:10 pm

Sometimes, not always, but sometimes, accepting the reality of my laziness allows me to record more, mostly when just recording myself. When I feel like I can't record unless everything's perfect, I sometimes never get to the actual music-making part, because I get discouraged or bored or just lose momentum along the way.

like I said, not always, but sometimes...

RefD · Post by **RefD** » Fri Sep 12, 2008 6:19 pm

the occasional POD Pro electric guitar track has slipped into a final version of a recording now and again.

also, i sometimes settle for a less than stellar take...but i've been lucky in that by the time it comes to mix they usually end up adding character rather than making me cringe.

heaps more examples to choose from.

ashcat_lt · Post by **ashcat_lt** » Fri Sep 12, 2008 7:53 pm

For my own music (most of what I record), I try hard not to use microphones on anything but vocals. This isn't out of laziness. This is about being realistic about my situation. In the 20 years I've been recording I've only rarely been able to use a space that was big enough or quiet or uninhabited ("There are peole trying to sleep around here, asshole!")

On the other hand, I'm all about recording everything, whatever that takes. Sometimes I'll just throw a digital video camera (CD quality stereo sound, built in compression) up and hit record. Capture it now and make it sound good later.

ashcat_lt · Post by **ashcat_lt** » Fri Sep 12, 2008 8:02 pm

PS

RefD wrote:also, i sometimes settle for a less than stellar take..

That's from back when you had the tele and the beer gut.

Before the hot chick.

Chris_Avakian · Post by **Chris_Avakian** » Fri Sep 12, 2008 8:20 pm

im more creative, and productive with less gear. i could record a song or two a day when i have a little 4 track, but when im in the studio, i just sit there, and get frustraited... too much equipment to deal with.

recently, i just started setting up all my amp heads in the control room, and a speaker in the studio with a mic, and i just leave it. im running bass di, and just leaving the drums set up. im not recording any bands right now, so as long as i just dont touch anything, i can be productive, but the second i have to set up a mic, or touch a knob, im sure i wont get anything down.

minorkeylee · Post by **minorkeylee** » Fri Sep 12, 2008 8:48 pm

Wow. Good post. It's so hard to be creative and precise at the same time. I'm sure many of you are songwriters and multi-instrumentalists like me...and nothing kills the flow like fretting over mic placement, signal chain, bg noise, tuning, etc...well, except for maybe cell phones.

vvv · Post by **vvv** » Fri Sep 12, 2008 9:08 pm

... girlfriends, running out of liquor, day jobs, football, grocery shopping, waiting for and meeting "the man" ...

Jay Reynolds · Post by **Jay Reynolds** » Fri Sep 12, 2008 10:16 pm

The side of my brain that realizes good musical ideas and the side that engineers good takes are often exclusive. And I've lost myriad songs by switching sides.

RefD · Post by **RefD** » Fri Sep 12, 2008 10:41 pm

ashcat_lt wrote:PS
RefD wrote:also, i sometimes settle for a less than stellar take..
That's from back when you had the tele and the beer gut. Before the hot chick.

ow.

but i've had a hot chick since 1997.

stereopathetic_banjo · Post by **stereopathetic_banjo** » Sat Sep 13, 2008 6:11 am

Maybe I shouldn't admit this here, but on my own stuff, I've been guilty more than once of throwing a mic up and just getting levels and not really trying for a better sound than what's there first try. Mainly I'm referring to drums- trying to run back and forth into my control room from the live room and get sounds drains me fast. Granted, most of the time it sounds fine...and it's just for me doing scratch recordings, but still...that's my guilty practice in my little space.

MoreSpaceEcho · Post by **MoreSpaceEcho** » Sat Sep 13, 2008 7:57 am

just yesterday on a mix i used many instances of the space echo plug in, rather than take the time to run the tracks out to the real thing sitting 3 feet to my left.

*begs forgiveness*

ashcat_lt · Post by **ashcat_lt** » Sat Sep 13, 2008 8:12 am

minorkeylee wrote:Wow. Good post. It's so hard to be creative and precise at the same time. I'm sure many of you are songwriters and multi-instrumentalists like me...and nothing kills the flow like fretting over mic placement, signal chain, bg noise, tuning, etc...well, except for maybe cell phones.

Of course, this is also a convincing argument of why one maybe shouldn't record oneself.

Jay Reynolds · Post by **Jay Reynolds** » Sat Sep 13, 2008 8:33 am

ashcat_lt wrote:
minorkeylee wrote:Wow. Good post. It's so hard to be creative and precise at the same time. I'm sure many of you are songwriters and multi-instrumentalists like me...and nothing kills the flow like fretting over mic placement, signal chain, bg noise, tuning, etc...well, except for maybe cell phones.
Of course, this is also a convincing argument of why one maybe shouldn't record oneself.

When I look at the above post, I don't take it in the context of what's going on during tracking. When I'm working from this perspective, its when I'm demoing a song. I've got it in my head and if I spend too much time working out the engineering details it might very well disappear. When it comes time to "really" record the idea, its a different story.
I might be reading too much of my own workflow into mklee's post.

DrummerMan · Post by **DrummerMan** » Sat Sep 13, 2008 9:04 am

MoreSpaceEchoPlugIn wrote: *begs forgiveness*

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Your Laziness in Recording

Your Laziness in Recording

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